The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 on the federal civil service through the establishment of the Merit Systems Protection Board. The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 was designed to correct many of the abuses which existed under the Civil Service Commission related to appeals procedures and inefficiency within the federal government. The majority of data collected for this study were obtained from the Dallas field office of the Merit Systems Protection Board, which covers approximately 275,000 federal employees in a five-state area. Additional data, related to all of the regional field offices of the Merit Systems Protection Board, were obtained from Washington, D.C. Two research tools were used to collect data from the Dallas field office: a questionnaire and a personal interview. Three hypotheses were examined. Hypothesis I stated that the creation of the Merit Systems Protection Board has not given presiding officials any additional authority to handle or decide adverse action cases brought within their jurisdiction. Hypothesis II stated that the length of time needed to process adverse action cases has not decreased since the creation of the Merit Systems Protection Board. Hypothesis III stated that the creation of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 has made no difference in the number of adverse action cases brought by federal employees against federal agencies.

DISSERTATION - Abstract in English Three Essays on Electricity Markets Author: PhDr. Petra Luňáčková Academic Year: 2017/2018 This thesis consists of three papers that share the main theme - energy. The articles introduce characteristics and behavior of electricity focusing on its unique properties. The dissertation aims at the Czech electricity market and analyzes also highly discussed solar power plants. The first article studies long term memory properties of electricity spot prices through the detrended fluctuation analysis, as electricity prices are dominated by cycles. We conclude that Czech electricity prices are strongly mean reverting yet non-stationary. The second part of the dissertation investigates possible asymmetry in the gas - oil prices adjustment. Oil prices determine the price of electricity during the times of peak demand, as the reaction of power plants fueled by oil is quick but marginal costs are high. We chose the gasoline - crude oil relationship known as "rockets and feathers" effect and offer two new tests to analyze such type of relationship as we believe that error correction model is not the most suitable tool. Analyzing international dataset we do not find statistically significant asymmetry. The third study assesses the impact of renewable energy sources, solar plants in...

A study to examine factors that influence dairy cattle fertility was conducted in the United Kingdom (UK) and Malawi. Productivity data from the UK comprising 56,014 records from 574 Holstein cows were retrieved from a database at Scotland’s Rural College Dairy Research Centre in Dumfries. The cows were of either high (select) or average (control) genetic merit and fed total mixed rations with high or low forage. These formed four production systems - high forage select (HFS), low forage select (LFS), high forage control (HFC) and low forage control (LFC). Data from Malawi were obtained through a baseline survey in 67 smallholder farms and monitoring of 28 and 62 dairy cows from smallholder farms and a commercial farm, respectively. The breeds were Holstein-Friesians and Holstein-Friesian x Malawi Zebu crosses predominantly fed forages supplemented with concentrates. Some cows were fitted with accelerometers to enable monitoring of cow activity which was then related to cow fertility and energy balance. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, mixed models and logistic regression models using SAS 9.3. The UK data showed that production system significantly (p<0.05) influenced milk yield, body energy content (BEC) and fertility. BEC is a trait that indicates absolute level of energy in the body per day regardless of energy use and intake the previous day. Daily milk yield of LFS cows was 35±0.1 (mean±SEM) litres which was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of LFC (30.4±0.1 litres), HFS (27.5±0.1 litres) and HFC (24.3±0.1 litres) cows. LFS cows also had the highest milk yield acceleration to peak milk yield (0.51 litres/day/day) than (LFC 0.47±0.02 litres/day/day), HFC (0.47±0.03 litres/day/day) and HFS (0.46±0.03 litres/day/day) cows. The interval from calving to nadir BEC was 68±5, 83±6, 88±5 and 106±6 days for LFC, LFS, HFC and HFS cows, respectively. Days to first high luteal activity (DFHLA) and days to successful service (DSS) were significantly different with production system and genetic merit, respectively. LFC cows had DFHLA of 27±2 days (mean±SEM) which were significantly lower (p<0.05) than those of HFC (30±3 days), HFS (30±2 days) and LFS (35±3 days) cows. Average genetic merit cows had significantly lower (p<0.05) DSS (119±5 days, mean±SEM) than high genetic merit cows (132±5 days). Results from data collected in Malawi showed variations that reflected differences in management and other environmental factors. Average daily milk yield per lactation in Malawi was 13.3±4.9 (mean±SD) litres. Fertility traits in the UK herd were better than those in Malawi herds. The average DFHLA in Malawi was 79±29 days while in the UK it was 31±18 days. Cow activity in both the UK and Malawi farms varied with the feeding system, genetic merit and BEC. Select cows on home grown feeding system were more active (motion index =6250±40), stood longer (13.4±0.04 hours/day) and spent more time eating (5.6±0.32 hours/day, mean±SEM) than select cows on by products feeding system that had motion index, standing and eating time of 5166±37, 11.9±0.04 hours/day and 4.6±0.16 hours/day, respectively. Genetic merit, lactation number, days to first observed oestrus, calving BEC, service BEC and service milk yield were significant predictors of pregnancy to first insemination (p<0.05) while genetic merit, milk yield, percentage BEC between calving and service, service milk yield and service BEC were significant predictors (p<0.05) of pregnancy to the first three inseminations. Validation of models derived showed C-statistics of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.66 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57 to 0.75) and 0.65 (CI: 0.55-0.75), respectively. It is concluded that genetic merit, feeding system, parity, energy status and stage of lactation are the major factors that determine the likelihood of achieving pregnancy following insemination. Models developed have a potential to predict the probability of pregnancy to an insemination at an acceptable level of accuracy.

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A commitment to the market economy was easily extended to a widespread belief that money is the best motivator for work performance although there is no hard evidence to support that belief as a universal proposition (Armstrong & Murlis, 1994:263). Armstrong & Murlis (1994:263) contend that even if the effectiveness of money as a motivator can be questioned, most organisations strongly feel that it is fair to reward employees according to their contribution. The drive against incremental pay systems has taken place because management do not see why people should be paid for simply being there. Many people explicitly associate incremental pay systems with unmotivated performance. The argument being that if people are paid more flexibly according to their performance, they are more likely to be motivated than if they are sitting around waiting for the next automatic salary increment. Performance-related pay (PRP) schemes became more popular in many organisations in the 1980s as an answer to motivating employees and developing performance-oriented cultures. According to Flannery, Hofrichter & Platter (1996:83), organisations have been slowly coming to the realisation that compensation programmes have in many cases become a barrier to the growth and success of the organisations. Consequently, many employers devised new compensation systems that would likely support their emphasis on values such as quality, customer service, teamwork and productivity. Research shows that PRP systems can work for the organisation, but the first wave of enthusiasm revealed some weaknesses in their application. In this study project, the origins and underlying forces around PRP are discussed. The nature of PRP in the Lesotho Civil Service is addressed. PRP as part of the performance management system (PMS) in the Lesotho Public Service is introduced as a substitute for the current 'automatic' incremental pay system. Lastly, a model for introducing PRP in the Lesotho Civil Service is designed as a step-by-step guide for the people who are working on the PRP scheme. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Verbintenis tot die markekonomie het maklik aanleiding gegee tot 'n wydverspreide geloof dat geld die beste motiveerder is vir werkprestasie, hoewel daar geen vasstaande bewys is vir ondersteuning van die geloof as 'n universele proposisie nie (Armstrong & Murlis, 1994:263). Armstrong & Murlis (1994:263) beweer dat selfs al kan die effektiwiteit van geld as 'n motiveerder bevraagteken word, die meeste organisasies sterk voel oor die regverdigheid daarvan dat personeel volgens bydrae vergoed word. Die beweegrede vir afsien van die inkrementele vergoedingstelsel is te vinde in die bestuur se siening dat personeel nie noodwendig vir blote teenwoordigheid vergoed hoef te word nie. Baie mense assosieer die inkrementele vergoedingstelsel direk met ongemotiveerde werkverrigting en die argument word dan ook gehuldig dat as personeel met groter buigsaamheid volgens prestasie vergoed word, hulle waarskynlik meer gemotiveerd sal wees as wanneer hulle maar net wag vir die volgende outomatiese salarisverhoging. Prestasie-verwante vergoedingstelsels is gedurende die 1980's toenemend deur organisasies ingevoer as 'n meganisme vir die motivering van personeel en die vestiging van prestasie-georiënteerde kulture. Volgens Flannery, Hofrichter & Platter (1996:83), het organisasies stadigaan begin besef dat vergoedingsprogramme in baie gevalle belemmerend was vir hul groei en sukses. Gevolglik het baie werkgewers nuwe vergoedingstelsels ontwerp met waarskynlike steun vir hul beklemtoning van waardes soos kwaliteit, kliëntediens, spanwerk en produktiwiteit. Navorsing het getoon dat prestasie-verwante vergoedingstelsels gewenste resultate in 'n organisasie kan lewer, maar die aanvanklike geesdrif is gedemp deur swakhede wat in die toepassing daarvan na vore gekom het. In hierdie studie word die oorsprong van en onderliggende stukrag agter prestasieverwante vergoeding bespreek. Die aard van prestasie-verwante vergoeding in die Lesotho Staatsdiens word aangespreek asook hoe dit as deel van die prestasiebestuurstelsel in die Staatsdiens ingevoer kan word as plaasvervanger vir die bestaande outomatiese inkrementele vergoedingstelsel. Ten slotte word daar 'n modelontwerp vir die instelling van prestasie-verwante vergoeding in die Lesotho Staatsdiens as 'n stap-vir-stap gids vir diegene gemoeid daarmee.

Merit-based financial aid has long been utilized by college and university enrollment managers to attract the most academically qualified applicants for admission. Considerable research has been done to illustrate the impact of state-based merit aid programs and other scholarly pursuits have drawn attention to the consequences of merit aid on institutional investments in need-based aid. Less is known about the efficacy of merit aid to achieve college student enrollment objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between merit aid values and the likelihood of undergraduate student enrollment yield on offers of admission. The primary research question to be answered was: What is the relationship between the amount of merit aid students receive from a college or university and their enrollment decisions? The sample comprised 2,770 students at three private higher education institutions in the United States. Binary logistic regression and a forward selection process were used to test a range of possible predictors (e.g., sex, race, ethnicity, in-state residency, distance from home, academic qualifications, merit aid awards, and information from the financial aid applications of those offered admission) to determine the relative strength of merit aid in the prediction of student enrollment yield on offers of admission. The amount of merit aid offered was positively related to the likelihood of a student to enroll, even when academic qualifications and other student characteristics were controlled.

An "in-basket" test (representative sample of work usually found in the incoming mail basket of a person in a specific desk job) was designed to be used under limitations imposed by Civil Service Statute 1269m concerning merit examinations for the position of police sergeant. This test was used in conjunction with the traditional cognitive skills. test and performance evaluations. Subjects were 20 white male police officers. Peer and supervisory evaluations and predictions of who would make the best sergeant were correlated with total scores on the three-part test. Results indicate that the in-basket test contributes a unique and viable dimension to the traditional merit examination, and aids in the selection of those considered most qualified. Use of the in-basket test under Code 1269m was subsequently approved by the Civil Service Commission.

Thesis advisor: Zhifeng Ren / Solid-state cooling and power generation based on thermoelectric effects are attractive for a wide range of applications in power generation, waste heat recovery, air-conditioning, and refrigeration. There have been persistent efforts on improving the figure of merit (ZT) since the 1950's; only incremental gains were achieved in increasing ZT, with the (Bi1-xSbx)2(Se1-yTey)3 alloy family remaining the best commercial material with ZT ~ 1. To improve ZT to a higher value, we have been pursuing an approach based on random nanostructures and the idea that the thermal conductivity reduction that is responsible for ZT enhancement in superlattices structures can be realized in such nanostructures. The synthesis and characterization of various nanopowders prepared by wet chemical as well as high energy ball milling methods will be discussed in this dissertation. The solid dense samples from nanopowders were prepared by direct current induced hot press (DC hot press) technique. The thermoelectric properties of the hot pressed samples have been studied in detail. By ball milling ingots of bulk alloy crystals and hot pressing the nanopowders, we had demonstrated a high figure-of-merit in nanostructured bulk bismuth antimony telluride. In this dissertation, we use the same ball milling and hot press technique, but start with elemental chunks of bismuth, antimony, and tellurium to avoid the ingot formation step. We show that a peak ZT of about 1.3 can be achieved. Our material also exhibits a ZT of 0.7 at 250 °C, close to the value reached when ingot was used. This process is more economical and environmentally friendly than starting from bulk alloy crystals. The ZT improvement is caused mostly by the low thermal conductivity, similar to the case using ingot. Transmission electron microscopy observations of the microstructures suggest that the lower thermal conductivity is mainly due to the increased phonon scattering from the high density grain boundaries and defects. The performance of thermoelectric materials is determined by its dimensionless figure-of-merit (ZT) which needs to be optimized within a specific temperature range for a desired device performance. Hence, we show that by varying the Bi/Sb ratio, the peak ZT can be shifted to a higher or lower temperature for power generation applications or a cooling mode operation. A peak ZT of about 1.3 is achieved from a Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 composition which is highest among the different compositions. These nanostructured bulk samples have a significantly low lattice thermal conductivity compared to the bulk samples due to the increased phonon scattering in the grain boundaries and defects. This study shows that Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 may potentially perform better for cooling devices, while Bi0.3Sb1.7Te3 should be able to show better power generation efficiency. Several issues related to accurate measurement of thermoelectric properties were identified and many of them were solved during my studies and these are discussed in this thesis. With the data we obtained, it is clear that nanopowder-based thermoelectric materials hold significant promise. Therefore, a review of synthesis of nanostructured materials by solution-based methods, including a hydrothermal process for the Bi2Te3, Bi2Se3, and Bi2Te2.25Se0.75 nanoparticles, a solvothermal route for Sb2Te3 nanostructures, and a polyol process for the preparation of Bi nanostructures is presented in this dissertation. These new nanostructures may find applications in enhancing the thermoelectric performance. Although small sized and well dispersed nanopowders of various thermoelectric materials could be prepared by a solution method in large scale, contamination and partial oxidation are always big challenges in a chemical approach. Hence, a high energy ball milling technique to prepare thermoelectric nanopowders in large scale and without major contamination is still found to be more efficient and preferred. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Physics.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-08-08T14:32:07Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Renata Andrade Lotufo.pdf: 3849457 bytes, checksum: 6e67bf0da1ed0e28c22a2d5aada1b977 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-08T14:32:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Renata Andrade Lotufo.pdf: 3849457 bytes, checksum: 6e67bf0da1ed0e28c22a2d5aada1b977 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-21 / The dissertation analyzes the education in the Judiciary and its merit criteria, having as point of intersection and examination the technical improvement. It aims to deepen the constitutional concepts with the transdisciplinary aid. In addition, it ascertains how the technical improvement has been measured in the promotions by merit of judges. To do so, it interprets the legal rulings and pedagogical concepts of the science of management regarding the evaluation and performance management. In addition, it studies normative acts on the subject, both in relation to the entire Judiciary, as particularly in relation to the Federal Regional Courts and Courts of Justice. With global study of education in the Judiciary and the measurement of promotion by merit criteria, it seeks to portray the current situation, to bring about deepening and reflection to the future, with the aim to improve the adjudication and effectiveness of law / A dissertação analisa a educação no Poder Judiciário e seus critérios de merecimento, tendo como ponto de intersecção e exame o aperfeiçoamento técnico. Objetiva aprofundar os conceitos constitucionais, com o auxílio transdisciplinar. Além disso, averigua como o aperfeiçoamento técnico tem sido mensurado nas promoções por merecimento dos magistrados. Para tanto, interpreta as normas jurídicas e conceitos pedagógicos da ciência da administração, em relação à avaliação e gestão de desempenho. Além disso, estuda atos normativos sobre o tema, tanto em relação a toda a magistratura, como particularmente em relação aos Tribunais Regionais Federais e Tribunais de Justiça. Com o estudo global da educação no Poder Judiciário e a aferição dos critérios da promoção por merecimento, busca retratar a atual situação, para provocar o aprofundamento e a reflexão para o futuro, com o objetivo da melhoria da prestação jurisdicional e a efetividade do direito

Este estudo se refere a um método para selecionar os materiais plásticos resistentes a riscos mais adequados para peças automotivas. Estabelecer este procedimento é fundamental para as montadoras devido à versatilidade, qualidade e custo competitivo que os polímeros apresentam. Contudo, essa é uma atividade árdua, pois nota-se a ausência de profissionais familiarizados em trabalhar com materiais plásticos e a existência de milhares de materiais disponíveis para utilização. Deste modo, formular um processo estruturado para facilitar a seleção de plásticos tem como objetivo minimizar os riscos e erros do projeto. Portanto, o processo concebido para esta pesquisa foi gerado a partir da estratégia de seleção desenvolvida por Ashby, método tido como referência na área. Além deste, também foram utilizados conceitos da matriz de decisão de Pahl & Beitz, incluindo índice de mérito. Dois exemplos de aplicação da metodologia são apresentados através de estudos de caso, com os componentes tampa do porta-luvas e base do espelho lateral. / This dissertation work is focused on a method to select the most suitable plastic material with scratch resistance for automotive parts. This process is essential for the automakers due to the versatility, improved quality and cost competitiveness of resin materials. Nonetheless, the lack of professionals specialized in plastic materials and the large variety of polymeric materials makes the proper material selection challenging. In this way, it is necessary to define a systematic method to simplify polymeric materials selection in order to reduce the project risks and errors. For this reason, the process proposed in this study was generated based from the selection strategy developed by Ashby, as this is a reference in the field. In addition, two other concepts were adopted: Pahl & Beitz decision matrix and merit index. In order to evaluate this systematic method, two case studies were analyzed: glove compartment and side mirror base.

Oxide ceramics have been increasingly researched for high temperature thermoelectric (TE) applications. SrTiO3 based materials are promising candidates due to its chemical and thermal stability. In this study, oxide ceramics of composition (1-x)SrTiO3-(x)La1/3NbO3 (0 smaller or equal to x smaller or equal to 0.3) were prepared by single-step solid state sintering in Ar/5%H2 at 1700 K. The density of all the samples prepared was above 90%. All the samples were predominantly single-phase compositions crystallised with a cubic structure in Pm ̅3m space group. The impact of oxygen deficiency, A-site vacancies and mixed oxidation states of Ti3+/Nb4+ on electrical and thermal transport properties was assessed. Optimum TE properties were obtained for x=0.2 (Sr0.8La0.067Ti0.8Nb0.2O(3-delta) = L2), which has 13.4% A-site vacancies. The ZT values improved from 0.2 to 0.27 at 1000 K, with an increase in sintering time from 8 hours to 48 hours, due to increased carrier concentration. Complex interplay of oxygen vacancies and excess donor substitution on A/B-sites of L2 (substituting 5-10% Sr/Ti with La/Nb) exhibited 35% improvement in ZT values, whilst maintaining the A-site vacancies and core-shell structures within grains, which reduced the thermal conductivity by ~50% compared to undoped SrTiO3 samples, due to strong phonon scattering. A facile method to incorporate metallic inclusions (2.5 wt% Fe/Cu) at grain boundaries in L2 ceramics is demonstrated. The modified compositions displayed a maximum ZT of ~0.37 at 1000 K for L2 samples containing metallic inclusions due to increased carrier concentration (5.5 x 10^21 carriers/cm^3) and carrier mobility (2.4 cm^2/(V.s).The addition of graphene/Graphene Oxide (GO) flakes in L2 ceramics has been investigated to improve the electrical conductivity of L2 composites without significantly increasing the thermal conductivity. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) of the composite powders at 1473 K and 50 MPa produced dense samples (>95% relative density) with a homogeneous dispersion of graphene/GO flakes, for loadings smaller or equal to 1.0 wt%. The effect of interaction and distribution of graphene/GO flakes within the ceramics on TE properties is investigated. The composite samples demonstrate anisotropic ZT values, with 20% improvement in the direction normal to the orientation of graphene flakes. A novel sintering method has been proposed which has strong industrial potential. The L2 based composites were sintered in Air at 1700 K (ramp rate: ±300 K/min), whilst samples were covered uniformly. Strong reducing conditions and evolution of secondary phases in the microstructure helped achieve, the very low electrical resistivity of ~3.0 x 10^(-6) ohm.m at room temperature. Secondary phases, sub-micron voids in the grains and A-site vacancies reduced the lattice thermal conductivity (~2.0 W/m.K), comparable to the lowest lattice thermal conductivity achievable (~1.5 W/m.K) at 1000 K and obtain a maximum ZT of 0.4 at 1000 K for L210G-Air/C composites.